Trade Show Escape Room
The Issue
Microsoft Office wanted to use the Ignite conference to help organizations understand why Office 365 ProPlus was the better upgrade path from older Office applications while competing with hundreds of booths for the same audience.
Idea
Turn the product comparison into a five-minute escape-room challenge. Participants entered a staged office where a fictional employee resisted upgrading from Office 2010. To “update the office,” players had to follow clues hidden in ordinary office objects, solve the room, and identify Office 365 ProPlus as the right product choice. Each clue highlighted a real product benefit, so the experience did not separate entertainment from education. Solving the room meant learning the message.
My Role
I helped develop the concept, message structure, clue path, environmental copy, and participant experience for an interactive booth activation. My work included concept development, copywriting, clue writing, product-benefit messaging, booth and environmental copy, participant flow, and coordination of how the physical room, props, clues, and reveal worked together.
Results
Around 400 attendees completed the escape room individually or in teams. Average completion time was 5-6 minutes. That gave Microsoft Office more than 33 hours of one-on-one brand engagement with potential decision-makers. The experience created a steady flow of attendees and gave Microsoft a more memorable way to communicate product benefits than a traditional booth demo.
The staged office environment turned a product upgrade message into a physical experience attendees could enter, explore, and solve.
Staff talked with queued attendees to explain the rules while incorporating the benefits of Office 365 ProPlus, creating additional brand engagement.
More than 400 individuals or groups completed the room, creating more than 33 hours of personal brand engagement with potential decision-makers.
Everyday office objects became clue carriers, allowing product benefits to be discovered through interaction rather than explained through sales copy.
The clue system mapped product benefits to physical objects, keys, locks, and a final reveal, making the experience engaging and fun for hundreds of participants.
After completing the challenge, attendees captured and shared the experience, extending the booth interaction beyond the room itself.
